Bramble Thorns
Bramble Thorns One cat. A second chance. Three paths. Prologue- Brambleears padded through the tunnel, unsure of what to come. She had just died, killed by a WindClan warrior in a border skirmish. Now she was descending to somewhere in the afterlife. She suspected she'd be placed in .the Dark Forest, for all the things she had done. "It is time for your judging, Brambelears," a voice boomed. Brambleears snapped her gaze up. The silver tabby found herself in a starlit cave. "Judging?" She asked. "Yes, you shall be judged for your crimes and good deeds," another answered. Brambleears hissed. "You don't know what I've done." Five cats sat in the cave. Three were on rock pedestals. One an elderly bright orange tabby she-cat, another, a tom, about the age of a senior warrior, with long black fur. The third pedestal cat, seemingly the leader, was white furred with striking yellow eyes, looked to have been a one when he was alive. The remaining cats were on the ground in front of the stone pedestals. Two cats sat on either side of a long strip of shining silver bark. They had many rocks at their sides. A brown tabby apprentice-aged cat sat on one side, her eyes twinkling, the other a sandy-yellow tom-kit. The warrior proceeded to list out Brambleears's faults, each time the apprentice placed a rock on her end of the the silver bark strip. Miraculously, it did not tip. The elder told Brambleear her good deeds, but they were not as many as the crimes. The leader flicked his tail, and the bark tilted towards the apprentice. "Brambleears, your crimes outweigh your good deeds. You will face afterlife in the Dark Forest," the white tom said. Yes! ''Brambelears thought. She didn't want to be with those StarClan weaklings. The cats all bowed their heads, and started chanting, "Dark Forest! Dark Forest!" Suddenly, she was transported to a murky forest. She had been here before. A brown tabby tom greeted her. "I am Tigerstar, but I belive we have met?" Brambleears nodded. "Yeah. I'm glad to be here." Tigerstar smiled a smile that made her shiver. "Good, good. But I'm afraid you won't be here for long." Brambleears widened her eyes. "What?!" she asked. "Rebirth. You have served us well in your life, but it was cut short, and you have unfinished business." Brambleears grinned. "Now, I will send you back as one of Gingerfrost's kits. You must finish what you have started." Brambleears twitched her ears. "Will I remember my past life?" Tigerstar shook his head. "But we will guide you." Brambleears nodded. "I'm ready." Tigerstar rolled his eyes. "Not so soon," he reminded her. "Her kits are due in a few days. Now, get some rest. You'll need it." Brambelears muttered a thank-you, and went off to find herself a nest in the depths of the Forest of the Evil. Silverkit Silverkit let out a yawn, as a small paw prodded her stomach. "Wake up, Silverkit!" Creekkit mewled. Silverkit opened her eyes to see her sister, bouncing around their nest. "Gingerfrost says we can play outside today!" Silverkit gasped. "Really?" She glanced at her mother. ''Gingerfrost wouldn't let us play with the other kits yesterday. She said that there was a "problem". I wonder what it was? Gingerfrost nodded, but she looked hesitant. "Now, some kits are bullies. I hope you don't encounter any. Don't listen to any kit if they start... Making fun of the way you look." Silverkit stared at her mother. "What? What do you mean? What's wrong with the way I look?" Panic crept into her stomach. Gingerfrost's voice faltered. "W-well, nothing's wrong with you. It's j-just sometimes, cats can be r-rude to make thems-selves feel better." She smiled, making Silverkit feel better. "Bye!" Creekkit called over her shoulder, as she scampered away. Their brother, Reedkit chased after her. Silverkit followed more slowly, taking her time. Silverkit skidded to a halt beside her litter mates, panting. Creekkit grinned at her. "Did you know that there's other kits in the nursery? There's four more whole kits in the nursery! That's four more kits to play with!" Silverkit nodded. "I know." Reedkit stared at the other kits, who were still in the nursery. "Four is a lot. Are they all from the same litter?" Creekkit shrugged. "Who cares? As long as there's a lot." She bounced up and down, full of energy. "I need friends." Silverkit rolled her eyes, exasperated. "When are they coming?" Creekkit answered, "Now. They just had to get cleaned." Silverkit nodded. "Okay." She paused. Fear crept into her mind, sprouting a new thought. She gasped, horrified. "What if they don't like me?" Creekkit shrugged. "I dunno." She swatted at her tail, distracted. "Who cares?" I do! '' "Of course they will!" Reedkit said. He placed his black tail on her shoulder. "Dont worry." Silverkit's fear dissolved a bit. "Here they come!" She exclaimed. She watched the kits tumble towards them. Curiously took flight. She couldn't wait to meet them! One was a snow-white she-cat. Her navy blue eyes sparkled with delight. Another one looked just like her, but he had green eyes. Another, in the center was a silver tabby. She had long, flowing fur. Her head was held high and regally. Silverkit already didn't like her. But one cat strayed behind, a tiny gray tom. Silverkit tilted her head, watching him carefully. ''He seems lonely. He must not be their brother. '' The silver tabby skidded to a halt in front of Creekkit. "Hi!" "Hello!" Creekkit purred. Joy filled her blue eyes. "I'm Rubykit." The silver she-cat dipped her head. ''Rubykit? But you're silver! "I was named after Rubystar, my mother's mother," she finished. Pride was evident in her voice. Oh. ''Silverkit sighed, she ''really didn't like Rubykit. "This is Fogkit." She pointed to the white tom. Fogkit swished his tail, as if he needed to confirm who he was. "And our sister, Lavenderkit." Lavenderkit smiled genuinely, unlike her sister, who's fake smiles made Silverkit flinch. "I'm Shadekit. I'm not their brother." Sadness gleamed behind the small gray tom's eyes as he introduced himself. Silverkit wondered want was wrong. Something seemed... off about him. Silverkit made a mental note to find out why he looked so sad; she needed to know. Rubykit glanced at Silverkit and her siblings. "What are you names?" "I'm Creekkit! I'm Creekkit!" The brown tabby squealed. "Nice to meet you!" Rubykit looked down her muzzle with disdain. "Hm... Very well. Welcome to the club. Initiation will be at sun-down." Creekkits eye widened with disbelief. "Club?! There's a club?" A grin took over her face. Rubykit nodded. "Mhm. I'm in it, my siblings, and now you." Her eyes flitted to Shadekit for a moment, but quickly returned her gaze to Creekkit. And acted as if she did nothing. ''But not Shadekit, ''Silverkit thought, wondering what was wrong with him. She was confused, an emotion that she was no stranger to. "What about you?" Rubykit was now eyeing Reedkit. Silverkit thought she heard the tabby purr. "Reedkit. Not interested in your club." His gaze was calm, but traces of owning it were evident in his clear green eyes. Rubykit scoffed. "Whatever. You'll change your mind." She turned to Silverkit. Her eyes became round as moons. "You." She took a few steps back, Lavenderkit narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Our mommy says we're not allowed to play with you." Her normal cheer was gone. "What?!" Creekkit snarled. "Is there some thing wrong with her?" She glared at the three kits. Fogkit hissed. "Stay back!" His eyes were filled with fear. ''What did I do? ''Tears swam in Silverkit's eyes. She wanted to disappear. Something next to her shifted. Reedkit. And he looked... Guilty? "There's n-nothing wrong with her." But the way he said it made it sound as if there was.